Ex-CU Buffs star Andre Roberson resists urge to say “I told you so”

Andre Roberson, left, in a game this season against the Lakers (EPA/Larry W. Smith)

Given the chance to snap back, Andre Roberson resisted. Perhaps wisely. But few would have blamed him if he did.

When he announced his intention to skip his senior season at CU and enter the NBA draft, it was met with swift and decisive denouncement — almost universally. Draft projections had him going in the second round, and that’s not where the money is. Most everyone questioned how he could see that and not return to CU to improve his stock.

It was a big risk.

And it paid off.

Quite literally, actually, when the Thunder selected him with the 26th pick in the first round of this year’s draft. He got his first-round selection and the guaranteed contract that came with it.

Asked if he wanted to say “I told you so” to the naysayers, he paused.

“Uhh … I mean … no, not really,” he said.

Though he toed the line.

“They just didn’t really know what was going on in the whole process,” Roberson said. “They were just looking from the outside-in; they didn’t really have the same information as me. So, it’s understandable that some people were disappointed that I left, but I to do what’s best for me and my family.”

He is a specialist on this Oklahoma City team, a player who enters the game and provides defense and rebounding. In 10.3 minutes in the games he’s participated in, he is averaging 1.8 points and 2.6 rebounds.

“(He is) a tough-minded defensive player that is committed to the team,” OKC coach Scott Brooks said. “He’s going to be one of those guys that he does all of the little things. At this point we’re not looking at his offense, we’re looking at his impact on the game defensively. He’s a very athletic, long, lengthy type of player that can cause problems.”

Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.